Squirrel hunting- 44 days!

[fishuntrapper]

watch the boys from Beast Outdoors shoot squirrels. dead on most of the time. amazing shots with a bow!

[Skillet]

Good luck to anybody who's getting out tomorrow. I'm heading to camp after work. Really looking forward to it.

[Elmo]

I'm heading out either Sunday or Monday. Now a matter of deciding on a weapon of choice. 22LR, 17HMR, or #6 shot. Decisions, decisions, decisions.

[Skillet]

I'm heading out either Sunday or Monday. Now a matter of deciding on a weapon of choice. 22LR, 17HMR, or #6 shot. Decisions, decisions, decisions.

I'm starting with the .22. I'm sure I'll end up with the shotgun when I get frustrated with all the leaves in the way.

[rjw]

Hello, i am an avid squirrel hunter too for the last 30 years, prior to that i lived where only pine squirrels were, or chickarees as they are sometimes called.

Bill johnson and another man told me about your website and forums and i joined today, bill was expected to be hunting with us tomorrow for bear and squirrel but he is still in the hospital,

I make my own small game heads, two are favorites of mine, the first is simply a bolt or pan head bolt screwed into the insert in an aluminum arrow, place a large washer under the bolt and it will not penetrate the tree or ground and shot in grass or brush the washer causes the arrow to flip up making it easy to find.

The other small game head i use is for my wooden arrows but can be used on other shafts too with some modification, for my shaft size a 38 special or 357 mag case is used, deprime the case and chuck in a vise with a dowel inside to stop crushing, using a hacksaw slice into the case vertically deep enough to seat a bleeder blade, replacement bleeder blades for broadheads are cheap and sharp, epoxy the bleeder in place and cement the case onto the shaft and done, again a large washer under the head helps recovery and also stops over penetration on small game like woodchucks squirrels and birds.

If anyone wants to please save the tails for us, several of us teach kids to tie flies and always need squirrel and deer tails, dip the cut end in table salt and freeze flat, we cant buy them here but can offer coffee and a few flies>!

[Paula]

i am going in morning with my 410

[Elmo]

That some pretty impressive stuff, RJW. You're pretty far north of the city aren't you?

[shawnhu]

Rjw, great thing you guys are doing teaching kids to tie their own flies. I'll be sure to save some tails of them for you if I get any this year.

[rjw]

Thank you shawnhu, and anyone else, @ elmo, yes i am about 8 HRS NORTH OF NYC from what summer people with camps here tell me, i live on upper saranac lake or have until this year, i am waiting on the closing sale of my house. I am in vermont staying with my uncle; who sold out and left the north country in 2006 for the same reasons i sell this month, from here i am in colorado with his family for mid sept then hopefully will find a place to my liking in wyoming.

It is a great treat having numerous grey squirrels to hunt here in the champlain valley of southern vermont. I picked up 5 tails from roadkills here today alone!

We are loading lunches and water and gear and readying the dogs for the season as i type this, i will undoubtedly be reprimanded for shooting squirrels while running bears today, lol.

Good luck all!

[Pygmy]

rjw..Got 3 tails in the freeze for you this morning..One black and two greys..

Good luck with the bruins..

[Skillet]

Got 5 greys saturday.

[Paula]

thats good. i got only 1 fox squirrel. today i went out with out my camera so i couldn't switch cards. i just mostly hung out in the woods and enjoyed it. i walked over to check the water level and i was passing my camera trying to be cute...you know how it is lol. i did a couple poses and here comes a grey down the tree right behind the camera. not sure if that shocked expression was caught on camera lol. i bought bug spray and not sure if that is really good stuff or if the cool morning breeze saved me today

Edited September 3, 2012 by paula

[Elmo]

Got 2 greys. Used the 22LR. Damn leaves are thick! Must have lost another half dozen to the leaves.

[Paula]

Got 2 greys. Used the 22LR. Damn leaves are thick! Must have lost another half dozen to the leaves.

thats why i like the 410, it betters my chances.

[Elmo]

I enjoy the challenge of the 22 over the shotgun. To be honest, I'm sort of squirrelled out for the moment. So much effort to clean them for so little meat. Granted, they sure are tasty. Best way to describe their meat is the dark meat of a turkey leg. I use my squirrel hunting as more of a scouting/hiking session. I got two out of frustration because so many eluded me in the beginning but after I got those two, I let two other get away that I had easy shots on. Part of me was lazy and didn't want to have to clean a 3rd or 4th. The two I bought home got a dry rub and went under the boiler then into the fridge. I'll munch on those tomorrow night. Come December and January, after a frustrating deer season, I might feel differently and hunt squirrels purposely again. Who knows but right now, I'm don't having an itching to go out specifically for squirrel. I'll go out to hike, scout, enjoy the outdoors and if I see a squirrel, maybe I'll take it, maybe I won't.

Edited September 4, 2012 by Elmo

[Paula]

they are a pain to clean, but worth it for me. i describe the meat as sweet chicken. all the nuts and corn makes them good

[Paula]

look at this Elmo, not sure if it was posted on here before but i did watch it last yr.

http://youtu.be/WkE2yFy5ZKs

[Skillet]

Double I got at first light on 9/1.

[Elmo]

look at this Elmo, not sure if it was posted on here before but i did watch it last yr.

Man, he makes it look much easier.

[greybeard]

Paula.... Thank you for posting the video...I've never seen air skinning before... I can skin pretty quickly, and .I generally would skin in the woods, but if you bring them home that sure looks like a clean and easy way to do it....I'd like to find his squirrel cooking video, I would like to see how he cooks them, I know he can teach this old dog new tricks....Thanks again

[Paula]

i need to do it, worth if you have a couple. it takes me like 15 min per.......

Paula.... Thank you for posting the video...I've never seen air skinning before... I can skin pretty quickly, and .I generally would skin in the woods, but if you bring them home that sure looks like a clean and easy way to do it....I'd like to find his squirrel cooking video, I would like to see how he cooks them, I know he can teach this old dog new tricks....Thanks again

[Dinsdale]

I would like to see how he cooks them,

I do the same but with Buffalo chicken wing sauce.

Edited September 4, 2012 by Dinsdale

[greybeard]

Dinsdale.. Thank you, it made me hungry

[Dinsdale]

Dinsdale.. Thank you, it made me hungry

I was fortunate to have a neighbor who liked cleaning and cooking them, he passed this year, I will miss him.

I love hunting squirrels, the more challenging the better. I shoot more than a few every year but I will cut back now I won't eat as many.

Only missed one opening day in 23 years.....

2 new rigs this year, one open sites and one scoped.

Had to hit this one on the run, first for the year;

Nice head shot at about 70 yds;

[Fletch]

Went out with my 10 year old son Saturday. I was 0 for 5 with the pellet gun! We did walk up a 1.5 year old one antlered 2 point at about 30 yards stood looking at us. My son spotted him as he did a small yote at about the same distance.

We went back Sunday with the 22 and did better at 1 for 3. Deep fried him but the boy says he liked parboiled and sauted in butter better. We might just head out tonight for anothr round.